Russellville native promoted to rank of brigadier generalFORT BELVOIR, Va. — Gary W. Johnston of Russellville was promoted to the rank of brigadier general at a ceremony on Sept. 14, at Fort Belvoir. Maj. Gen. George J. Franz III, commanding general, U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM), presided over Johnston’s ceremony. A 1983 graduate of Russellville High School, Johnston’s mother, Bonnie Johnston, resident of Russellville, and his aunt, Vernice Ramsey from Dardanelle attended the...

Evacuations continue in Missouri as 19 levees deemed 'highly vulnerable to flooding'AccuWeather reports intense flooding has killed at least 20 people and forced hundreds of roads to close across Missouri and Illinois. Rain-swollen rivers will set records in the Mississippi River basin through much of January. Flooding on the middle and lower portion of the Mississippi River and some of its tributaries may reach levels not seen during the winter months since records began during the middle 1800s. In addition to the Mississipp...

Obama to act next week on gun background checksHONOLULU (AP) — President Barack Obama is expected to take executive action next week to expand background checks on gun sales, according to an individual whose gun control advocacy group has been briefed by administration officials about the timing. The person was not authorized to discuss details before the announcement and spoke on condition of anonymity. White House officials won't confirm the timing. Spokesman Eric Schultz said the presid...

Extreme weather poses increasing threat to US power gridWAVELAND, Miss. — When Hurricane Katrina's punishing storm surge plowed ashore, it swamped seven of Coast Electric Power Association's substations, vital to powering thousands of Mississippi homes and businesses. The facilities have long since been repaired, but a decade after the storm they remain at the same elevation, and just as vulnerable to catastrophic hurricanes. Such storms are a growing threat. An Associated Press analysis of industr...

At least 11 die from Texas tornadoes, 13 in Midwest flooding GARLAND, Texas — At least 11 people died and dozens were injured in strong tornadoes that swept through the Dallas area and caused substantial damage this weekend, while 13 people died in flooding in the Midwest. It was the latest of a succession of powerful weather events across the country, from heavy snow in New Mexico, west Texas and the Oklahoma Panhandle to flooding in parts of the Plains and Midwest. Days of tumultuous weather have led ...

Christmas storm woes continue as tornado hits AlabamaBIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Residents in northern Alabama were warned to be alert for moderate to severe flooding Saturday, a day after a tornado briefly touched down in the state's most populous city but caused only a hint of damage. The flooding is the result of heavy downpours that have been thrashing the southeastern U.S. since Wednesday, bringing record rainfalls in some areas. The city of Mobile, for example, was walloped with 4 inches of rain We...

Unintended result: Gacy probe clears 11 unrelated cold casesCHICAGO — His task was to solve a cruel mystery decades after a serial killer’s death. Sgt. Jason Moran’s work began in a graveyard, his first stop in his quest to identify the eight unknown victims of John Wayne Gacy. More than 30 years had passed since Gacy had murdered 33 young men and boys. Investigators now had more sophisticated crime-solving tools, notably DNA, so the Cook County sheriff’s detective was assigned to find out who was buri...

US power grid vulnerable to foreign hacksSAN JOSE, Calif. — Security researcher Brian Wallace was on the trail of hackers who had snatched a California university’s housing files when he stumbled into a larger nightmare: Cyberattackers had opened a pathway into the networks running the United States power grid. Digital clues pointed to Iranian hackers. And Wallace found that they had already taken passwords, as well as engineering drawings of dozens of power plants, at least one with...

Sex offender arrestedThe Russellville Police Department reported that David Green, 36, an absconder wanted by the department for failing to comply with certain aspects of his sex offender registry and for failing to appear to court on felony charges, has been apprehended in Colorado. RPD has been seeking Green since late November.

Pre-Christmas severe storm, flood threat to target southern USAccuWeather Global Weather Center — AccuWeather reports a series of storms will move across the eastern half of the United States into Christmas Eve and trigger the potential for severe storms and flooding rainfall across the Southern states. Travelers from Texas to the Carolinas and into the lower Great Lakes need to remain aware of rapidly changing weather conditions while heading to their holiday destinations. Severe thunderstorms to target...

School makes teacher remove pink Hello Kitty Christmas tree BANGOR, Maine — A Maine high school teacher is complaining that she was forced to remove a small pink Christmas tree festooned with the character Hello Kitty from her classroom. Catherine Gordon is a math teacher at Bangor High School. She wrote on her Facebook page that "everything offends everyone all the time" and that it "just sucks the joy out of everything." The news of the pink tree's removal took off on social media Monday. Even Republ...

High school graduation rates upWASHINGTON — The U.S. high school graduation rate inched up to 82 percent and the achievement gap narrowed, according to new federal data that raise concern among education officials and others that too many students still aren’t getting a diploma. The latest figures released Tuesday by the Education Department showed wide disparities in graduation rates according to where students live. Leading the way was Iowa, with a graduation rate of near...

Transmission line work may begin in 2017GUYMON, Okla. — Officials with Houston-based Clean Line Energy Partners say construction could begin in 2017 on a planned 700-mile transmission line to carry wind-generated electricity across Oklahoma and Arkansas into Tennessee. The planned Plains & Eastern Clean Line would carry the wind power from as-yet undeveloped wind farms in the Oklahoma Panhandle to Memphis, Tennessee, where it would connect to the Tennessee Valley Authority. Mario Hu...

Broadway play wins lawsuit over heirs to ‘Who’s on First’NEW YORK — Abbott and Costello’s heirs struck out Thursday in their efforts to prove copyright claims against the producers of a Broadway play in which a character uses a sock puppet to perform part of the comedians’ famous “Who’s on First” routine. “The complaint doesn’t get past first base,” U.S. District Judge George B. Daniels wrote as he dismissed the lawsuit filed in Manhattan in June. The copyright holders had accused “Hand to God” prod...

Disney, other major parks to install metal detectors for holiday seasonORLANDO, Fla. — With the nation increasingly concerned about safety in public, three major theme parks announced Thursday that they are adding security measures including metal detectors ahead of the busy holiday season. Officials at Disney, Universal and SeaWorld’s Florida theme parks said all three parks will be using metal detector screening for guests as they enter. In addition, Disney is discontinuing the sale of toy guns at both its Flor...

Florida man to display 'Festivus Pole' at Oklahoma Capitol OKLAHOMA CITY — A Florida man said Wednesday his plan has been approved to display in the Oklahoma Capitol rotunda a "Festivus Pole" based on a fictional holiday depicted in the popular 1990s sitcom "Seinfeld." Chaz Stevens, of Jupiter, Florida, will display a "Festivus Pole" next Wednesday in the building's first-floor rotunda near an existing display of giant nutcrackers and a gift-laden sleigh. Stevens said the pole pays homage both to gay ...

Tiny kitten rescued from conveyor belt at recycling plant GALT, Calif. — A worker at a Northern California recycling center saved a tiny kitten from certain death when he spotted the animal heading down a conveyor belt. Tony Miranda tells television station KCRA that (http://bit.ly/1NTvDoG ) he was sorting recyclables Tuesday when he found the pink-nosed, white-pawed cat between the debris and scooped it up. It's not clear how the kitten got in with the trash, but it may have survived a ride in a dum...

Russellville man killed in Chattanooga to be awarded Purple HeartNASHVILLE, Tenn. — After determining a shooting at a Chattanooga reserve center this summer was inspired by foreign terrorists, the Navy will award the Purple Heart to the four Marines and one sailor who were killed and the one Marine who was injured there. U.S. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus announced the decision Wednesday in a news release. He said the finding that the shooting was terrorist-inspired came after an extensive investigation by the F...

Morrilton Packing Co. recalls pork productsWASHINGTON — Morrilton Packing Co. is recalling approximately 12,146 pounds of boneless ham products due to misbranding and undeclared allergens, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced recently. The product contains soy, a known allergen, which was not declared on the product label. The boneless hickory smoked honey ham was produced on Oct. 1, and Oct. 4, 2015. The following products are subjec...

After confession, man could be freed after 28 years in jailDENVER — A man imprisoned for 28 years after a woman said she dreamed that he raped her could be freed after a Denver judge overturned his conviction, saying he would likely be acquitted at a new trial because someone else confessed to the crime. Clarence Moses-EL was convicted in 1988 and sentenced to 48 years in prison for raping and assaulting a woman when she returned home from a night of drinking. When police initially asked who attacked ...